At Your Placement

First day

You should report to your assigned school’s main office half an hour prior to the placement time. Be sure to follow all sign-in procedures in the main office every time you report. Introduce yourself to the office staff and the principal and ask for directions to your cooperating teacher’s classroom.

You should begin attending your placement on the date noted in your notification email or on the next school day following your notification. For example, if your email arrives on Monday and your placement day is scheduled for Wednesdays, you should begin your placement on Wednesday of that week.

What should I do while at my placement?

At all levels of field experience you are asked to act as a “participant observer” and to closely monitor all classroom/setting interactions. Part of being a participant observer is that you are actively participating during your placement. Candidates are asked to seek ways to contribute to the classroom in which they are placed. The field experience is not limited to just one classroom setting, with the cooperating teacher’s approval, candidates may visit other places in their assigned school/practicum setting to learn as much as possible about the profession.

You may also receive assignments (projects, reflections, etc) from your professors that directly apply to what you are doing while at your placement. Be sure to notify your assigned teacher well in advance of any assignments that will affect them (teacher interviews, mini-lessons, etc).

Absences and Emergencies

You are responsible for attending every week, however in the event of an absence or tardiness due to illness or an unavoidable emergency, you will need to call the school as soon as you know you cannot attend and let the office know you will not be there:

• Identify yourself by name and college.
• State the name of the teacher you are working with.
• Indicate your reason for absence.
• Ask that a message be given to your cooperating teacher.

Schedule Change

You should go to the placement at your scheduled time and then work with your cooperating teacher to find a time that is mutually agreeable for the remainder of the semester. You would regularly attend according to this scheduled time every week. If there is a change that you have made with your host teacher, please notify the Clinical Practice and Partnerships Office of the change. If you and your cooperating teacher are unable to agree on another time, please contact the Clinical Practice and Partnerships Office immediately. Failure to notify the office in a timely manner will forfeit the placement.